That’s right, folks, Wisdom For Your Weekend is back! I hope you missed me. In some small way, I missed you, too.
For those of you who may be new to this (welcome!), W4YW is our weekly installment of what we’ve been reading (and watching) around the web.
Articles of the Week
Four Arguments Against Christianity Turned On Their Heads, Trevin Wax & Randy Huff. We share Wax’s love for the larger-than-life G. K. Chesterton. And this article shows one of the many reasons why. In the space of a few short words, Chesterton is able to undo what seem like air-tight arguments against Christianity. Whether you agree with Chesterton or not, one thing is for certain: you would not want to enter a war of wits with the man.
Six Tips in Becoming a Prolific Writer, Dan Darling. In addition to having one of the more iconic names in existence, Darling has a knack for language. But as he points out here, it’s not something that comes without effort. If you see yourself as a wordsmith in need of some fine-tuning (even better, if you see yourself as a wordsmith who doesn’t need fine-tuning), start here.
Three Questions Christians Should Ask about Donald Trump, John Stemberger, CNN. Perhaps you’re tired of hearing about Sir Donald. Perhaps not. But like him or not, the fellow won’t go quietly into that good night. As we take more and more steps into the gruelingly lengthy primary season, it’s important for us to know what questions to ask about our candidates. And Stemberger has three insightful ones about Trump. (Also, don’t miss Bruce Ashford—one of the Summit’s directional elders—and his cheeky insight concerning Trump: Evangelicals, Take Off Your Beer Goggles Before You Vote)
The Porn Phenomenon: A Comprehensive, Ground-Breaking New Survey, Dan Wooding. According to this article, this recent survey by Worldlink Media is the “most comprehensive, in-depth, and wide-ranging” study on pornography in the American church. Definitely worth a close look. Not a lot here in the way of prognosis, but as a diagnosis, it’s pretty telling. As one of many examples, take this surprising fact: young adults consider not recycling more immoral than pornography. (And, by the by, if you’re looking for more prognosis on pornography, don’t miss the invaluable resource from Brad Hambrick: False Love)
The One Question To Ask When You Are Left Out, Sharon Hodde Miller. This is a clever article taking a principle of photography—what isn’t in the picture is as important as what is—and applying it to our social media lives. The natural question to ask when you are “left out of the picture” (literal or metaphorical) is, “Why wasn’t I there?” But Sharon’s got an infinitely more important question we should all be asking: “Who else was left out?”
On The Lighter Side
The Most Cringeworthy Christian T-Shirts of All Time, Relevant Magazine. It may be my penchant for the punny, but I actually think some of these are pretty good. Well, sorta.
Wisdom For Your Weekend is presented to you by Chris Pappalardo, with occasional guidance from J.D. Greear. This is our attempt to reflect Proverbs 9:9: “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.”
